A Fast Break
by prospective
Summary: A devastating event cost Peter his powers. Upon hanging his webbed suit, he decided to pursue the career he'd always wanted before becoming Spider-Man. Only, MJ wasn't ready for the NBA to take more of Peter's time than it did to save other people's lives.
1. Chapter 1

**A Fast Break**

 **Synopsis:  
A devastating event cost Peter his powers. Upon hanging his webbed suit, he decided to pursue the career he'd always wanted before becoming Spider-Man. Only, MJ wasn't ready for the NBA to take more of Peter's time than it did to save other people's lives.**

 **Also, I don't own Spider-Man, but you already knew that.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

MJ sat alone on the hotel bed - again - waiting for her husband to come back home from work. His work, of course, consisted of working out, practicing, and drinking with his teammates to "build a healthy team relationship". The New York Knicks team were a good bunch. They welcomed Peter with open arms when he got drafted and most of them treated MJ with respect. MJ couldn't return the favour, though, but she tried to act otherwise. And she was a pretty good actress.

She sighed, looking around the room for something to do. Usually, she would read a book she brought from home as she waited for him, but she'd grown tired of alternating between reading _1984_ and _Fahrenheit 451_. One could only read so much dystopian fiction before they start to wish them to be true solely out of boredom. Oh, the irony.

Alas, she finally managed to bully herself into getting her ass out of bed and meeting the girlfriends and spouses of the other members of the Knicks team. Midway, she walked in a small circle, almost deciding to go back before realizing how pathetic that would look. She was never the social butterfly the other girls seem to be, but she was never a pussy either. She stomped her way to the hotel bar where they usually hung out.

Smita and Krystal gave her a warm smile as she entered. She smiled back, walking towards them.

"What's up?" MJ asked as if she always hung out with them.

Krystal giggled and Smita smacked her arm, answering. "Did you hear about Marl and Melinda?"

MJ looked sideways to where Melinda was sat down talking to another group of girls. She was quick to notice the new engagement ring on her ring finger, her hand splayed on the table for everyone to see. Her eyes went wide. "Oh, nice! She got engaged!"

Krystal snorted. "She'll be lucky to last a few months with him. You know how Mark is."

"She'll be lucky if they even last 'til their wedding date to get married," Smita said, breaking into a fit of laughter and leaning on Kyrstal for support.

MJ ignored them and began walking towards Melinda. She seemed to have finished talking to her group of friends as well because she stood as MJ approached her.

"Congrats on the engagement."

"Thanks," Melinda said, briefly lifting her backhand out for MJ to see. "I'm going back to my room. Long day."

MJ nodded. "Can I walk with you? I'm heading back to mine, as well."

Melinda raised her eyebrows - clearly knowing MJ just got there - but didn't protest. She nodded her head to the exit and they walked in relative silence. Much like her, Melinda wasn't the bubbly type and she had absolutely no problem with that. It was a nice contrast to the people she met these days.

As the elevator reached their floor, Melinda finally spoke.

"I heard Smita and Krystal talking earlier."

MJ pressed her lips to a thin line. "They're idiots."

"No, they're kinda right," Melinda said, slowly shaking her head. "Mark's a known playboy."

The hair on MJ's back suddenly felt itchy. She didn't know what to say to that.

"But I love him," Melinda said firmly as they reached her room. "You'd give anything for the person you love."

She opened the door and entered before turning to face MJ. Their eyes caught and they stood there for a while, not quite certain what's going on in each other's minds. Sighing, Melinda said, "I guess people are just jealous they don't have that."

The door closed, leaving MJ to walk alone to her room.

 _You'd give anything for the person you love_.

What a load of bullshit, she thought, flopping down to her bed. More like you bend to your man's wishes while he does nothing back for you. And the gall for her to call her jealous! She was in no way jealous of her. She was jealous of basketball.

She sat up, feeling a small weight being lifted off her shoulders after finally admitting it.

Jealous of fucking basketball. She threw her head back down the bed.

She knew how stupid and selfish this must look like, but ever since Peter joined the league last year, it had taken up more of his time than his Spider-Man persona had. They've been growing more distant ever since, but it became worse as the finals came. They flew to Los Angeles three weeks ago for the Knicks to face off against the Lakers, and Peter had never been more dedicated to his work.

It disturbed MJ on so many levels, seeing Peter take the game more seriously than she remembered him doing when he went up against numerous psychopathic villains in New York. It wasn't that she wants him to go back, but it was as if that concentrated look never left his face since she first saw it as she was being held hostage by the Hobgoblin. Their old friend, Ned Leads.

 _MJ whimpered as a long golden sword pressed against her neck. She could feel blood trickling down from where a shallow cut had sliced her skin open from her struggling. Before her, Peter shook in fury, gun pointed at the person behind her, holding her tight._

 _"Drop the gun, Peter, " cackled the Hobgoblin, "I know you're too much of a pussy to shoot that anyway."_

 _"Let her go," Peter's voice was loud and desperate, "Leave her out of this."_

 _"Or what? You're gonna kill me too? Just like you killed my father?"_

 _"I did not kill him, Ned!" Peter's voice rose, "but I'm this close to killing you if you don't let her go!"_

 _"You confuse me. One moment you say you would never take a life, the next you point a gun at me?" Ned's voice resembled no familiarity from the friend she and Peter knew during high school. "Have some integrity, Spider. At least, for me, you already know how much pleasure I would take from killing this bitch of yours—"_

 _Ned's speech was cut off by a loud bang. The sword pressed against MJ's neck became loose as his body collapsed behind her._

 _Peter dropped the gun and dragged himself over to the Hobgoblin's dead body. A few weeks ago, Peter had urged MJ that the Ned they knew was still in there, trapped behind the suit, possessing him. Now, MJ wasn't sure if even Peter believed that anymore._

 _Peter took Ned's mask off and closed his right eye. His left eye was now nothing but a crater of blood and shrapnel from the bullet Peter shot just a few moments ago. MJ shivered at the sight, her heart wilting at the sight her old friend, broken and lifeless. Peter averted his eyes away from his best friend and turned to MJ, his face clouded by deep sorrow and guilt. He fell to his knees._

 _"MJ, I can't stand."_

 _MJ lowered herself to bring Peter to her arms, his body seemingly limp. "Are you okay, Pete?"_

 _"I think I'm losing my powers," Peter cried, "I killed him, MJ. I killed my friend."_

 _"No," MJ said. "You didn't kill Ned. He was gone a long time ago."_

 _They silently cried in each other's arms. Amidst their tears, MJ couldn't help but blame herself. With a croak, MJ broke the long silence and said, "I'm sorry Peter. If I'd just ran as you told me to, you wouldn't have had to…you'd still have your…"_

 _"It's not your fault," Peter said, brushing her frizzly hair. "You mean the world to me, MJ. Not having powers is nothing compared to not having you."_

That was over two years ago. Now, it was hard to say it's her who Peter was devoted to. Some would say the ball is nothing compared to one's significant other, some would say that career was much more important.

Maybe MJ just didn't want to see it, but it was clear where Peter's priorities now lie. People change, and so does love. MJ understood that now, and she knew she had to move on if she wanted both of them to be happy.

* * *

 **A/N - Just so you know, Peter got the gun from a dead police officer Ned killed a few moments before the standoff. Yeah, I know, pretty important information lol. Please review so that I can see that you guys want more. I'm almost done the next chapter, which is written from Peter's point of view :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A Fast Break**

 **Disclaimer: I still don't own Spider-Man, nor MJ.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

"You sure you don't want a ride?" Tim asked, his arms draped around a girl he just met in the bar.

"I'm good, man," Peter chuckled, "The hotel's just a few blocks away. I'm not too sure you should be driving either."

"Come one, it was just a few sips," Tim burst out laughing as he led his girl to the passenger seat of his car. "Besides, what's life without a little risk? You've been a nerd your whole life. Time to let go! Go out more!"

Peter just snorted and shook his head, waving as he watched Tim's car drive off down the street. He'd spent enough time outside, he mused, thinking back a few years ago.

The team left for their hotels early tonight. Tomorrow was going to be Game 7 of the 2019 NBA Finals and everyone needed a good night's rest to play their best. Peter was exhausted after today's physical training, so he decided to skip out on his usual solo workout routine and headed back to his hotel where his wife, MJ, was waiting for him. They hadn't been spending a lot of time together in LA because he'd been training a lot, so he was eager to make up for it with today's free time.

~oOo~

Peter walked into his and MJ's hotel room and found her lying on the bed, facing away from the door. Peter slowly walked up to their bed, not wanting to wake her up and startle her. He sat down beside her and started to slowly kiss her neck.

"Peter."

Peter was the one who got startled, not expecting MJ to already be awake. "Hey, MJ," Peter continued kissing her, trailing down to her shoulders.

MJ turned and pushed her away, "Stop it, Peter."

"Something wrong?"

"Not tonight."

Peter had to admit, he was disappointed. Usually, it was MJ who made the first move in bed, so if she wasn't in the mood, there was clearly something wrong.

"I'm sorry. I was just hoping to get some action for tonight," Peter teased playfully, "Tim says it's good for morale."

"Please, Peter, can we not talk about Tim, or Mark, or Kevin, or Trey, or anything to do with basketball right now?" MJ pushed herself up from the bed and walked to the sink to wash her face. Her swollen eyes told him she'd been crying.

"What's the problem?" Peter asked again, now realizing something serious was going on.

"Nothing. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"MJ, you need to tell me about it now or it'll bother me the entire game tomorrow."

"That's just it!" MJ snapped, "All you think about these days is 'the game'. Ever since you got drafted, you've spent less and less time with me, and that's saying a lot considering how you used to fight crime all the time."

"That's why I'm trying to make up for it for tonight!" Peter said incredulously, standing up.

MJ groaned and continued her rant, "You haven't even been to any of my plays in Broadway since I got my acting gig. It's like the one thing I wanted my whole life doesn't even matter to you."

"What, do you want me to stop playing the game just because I couldn't come to your plays?"

Her eyes widened with fury.

"Seriously?" her voice reached a pitch he'd never heard from her before.

"MJ…" he felt like a deer in headlights.

"No, Peter! I know how important your career is to you! It's just that I can't continue to go on that stage, always expecting you to be there watching just to be disappointed, over, and over again." MJ cheeks were flowing with tears now, but she continued, "I think it's time we take a break, Peter."

Peter's stomach dropped and twisted.

"No, MJ, please. It's just one more game before the end of the season. We'll have four months where it's just us," Peter stepped forward to her but MJ raised her hands in front to stop him.

"Come on, you know that's not true," MJ wiped her cheeks to clean off the tears, but more just kept flowing back down. "Your agents are going to be breathing down your neck, telling you to do things, making your schedules for you. You're too important for them to let you get away from their sight."

"MJ, you're being…you're being difficult."

She pressed her hands against her eyes.

"It's me, or the game, Peter," MJ said as she continues to burst into tears. "Make your choice now because I'm tired of being put second to a damn game."

"Of course, it's you, MJ. It'll always be you."

"Then promise me that this is your last game."

Peter was too floored to react. How could she make him give up basketball when it was all he had worked for the past year? Anger began to build up within him despite himself. What if it was him asking her to give up acting?

"I thought so," MJ said when Peter didn't respond, "We have our own careers to focus on now, and we've grown apart a long time ago. It's over, Peter."

With that, MJ turned to pick up her luggage in the closet and went for the door, sniffling. Peter realized then that she had been prepared to leave before they even had this conversation.

Before he even thought to reply, she was gone.

* * *

 **A/N - As you can see, I'm not an NBA player myself, so I don't know much about how one would spend their time. All I have is my imagination and some amateur research. If I get some things wrong, I'm sorry, but I hope that won't ruin the story for you.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A Fast Break**

 **A/N: I still don't own Spider-Man.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3:**

The crowd cheered as Peter stepped into the court. Despite being with the visiting team, he still had thousands of fans in Los Angeles, rooting for him to carry the Knicks to victory over the Lakers. Peter knew he should be more grateful for the overwhelming support the people are giving him, but for some reason, his mind just kept coming back to MJ.

 _She left me_ , Peter reminded himself. _I need to forget about her. She was right, we both have our own careers to focus on. It's just that—No. It'll be hard for me to focus on this game if I can't take her out of my mind!_

Peter was brought back to the present when his coach, David, patted him on the back. "Are you feeling better now, Peter? You ready to take this ring once and for all?"

 _Ring? What ring? My wife just split up with me. He can't seriously think that I'm proposing to—_ Peter blinked. _Right._ Peter sighed and nodded, willing himself to get his shit together.

"It'll get better in time. Trust me, I've been there," Coach David said encouragingly before shifting back to his authoritative voice, "Now get out there and show 'em what you got!"

Peter joined his teammates on their pre-game drills, doing some shoot-around. They smiled encouragingly at him. They already knew bits of what had transpired last night. Rumours spread like wildfire when someone misses the pre-game national anthem, so Peter had to clear things out before they got out of hand. At least he wasn't getting too many pitiful looks.

He was late because he couldn't sleep the whole night. After MJ left, he laid on his bed, tossing and turning until he gave up trying to sleep at 5 AM. He got up, ate breakfast, repeatedly called MJ's phone to no avail, worked out, and paced around his room until 7 AM, which was when sleep finally overcame him and he passed out on the floor. When he woke up at 4 PM, he completely forgot where he was until memories from last night came rushing back to him. By then, he had never felt so desolate and empty. In and out.

 _MJ is gone._

The buzzer rang and ended Peter's brooding. He took a deep breath and sighed as he joined his teammates on their bench, ready to start the game.

~oOo~

MJ sat in the airport bar as she waited for the next flight to New York. She had missed the flight she initially took because she fell asleep in the waiting lounge, tired after silently crying throughout the whole night.

A roar of cheering in one corner of the room caught MJ's attention, and she saw that a large crowd of men were cramped around a television. She realized that Peter's game must be playing. Before she was able to stop herself, MJ had walked to join the group to get a better look at the screen. It was showing a replay of Peter stealing the ball from Lebron, bouncing it off the backboard and back to himself, dunking it before the buzzer went off. For someone his height, Peter can sure jump high - even without his spider strength. The first quarter ended with 24-19 for the Knicks. MJ couldn't help but feel a little sense of pride for her ex-husband.

This was Peter, and she was happy for him.

The screen turned back to the live feed of the game and it zoomed in on Peter, sitting on the bench. Just seeing his face made MJ's heart skip a beat. It hurt her heart to look at him now, but she didn't care because she still loved him very much. Despite a small part of her wanting to turn away, she kept on watching. Just so that she could see him for a little while longer.

Peter wasn't talking to anyone at the bench, and MJ knew him long enough to know how he always arched his eyebrows up when he's trying to hide his emotions. She noticed that he kept glancing at a seat behind him, and she knew that he was looking for her at her usual spot during his games, only to find it empty this time.

Guilt built up in her throat, and she chided herself for not waiting until after the game to speak with him. Of all people, she knew how bad it hurt to have someone be absent during that one time you expect them to be there for you. It was one of the many reasons why she decided to end it off with Peter, after all, but now it was _her_ doing it to him. Today was an important day for him, and she'd ruined it.

Hypocrite.

The word filled her mind.

As if to prove her thoughts, the second quarter started with Peter slacking off behind the other players on the court. Before Peter even crossed the centerline, Tim had stolen the ball from Lonzo and passed it to Peter, giving him a perfect chance for a fast break. Peter rushed back to his team's basket and jumped for another dunk, only for the ball to bounce off from the ring and for Peter to land on his bum. The audience, both in the stadium and in the bar, went silent. Peter Parker never failed a dunk, ever.

He buried his face in the shirt under his jersey, but when his face surfaced several seconds later, he was smiling with tears running down his cheeks.

MJ then realized that Peter was wearing the yellow shirt she usually wore for bed. She hadn't packed it in her luggage because she wasn't planning on leaving LA until Peter finished tonight's game. MJ then knew that Peter had been smelling her scent; that Peter had tears pouring out of his eyes because of her scent; and that Peter was _smiling_ because of her scent.

If MJ had been doing a good job at controlling her emotions a few seconds ago, she wasn't anymore. She joined Peter in heartbreak and broke into tears as well, ignoring the other people at the bar.

~oOo~

Peter _had_ done a good job not thinking about MJ the whole first quarter, but as he sat on the bench, he couldn't take it anymore. He needed MJ to be with him, and the closest thing he had left of her was the yellow shirt. He had brought it with him on his way to the locker room to remind himself that someone as beautiful as her existed. He needed to be reminded again, so during the break, Peter sped to the locker room to retrieve MJ's shirt and put it on under his jersey. Once he got back on the court, he was surrounded by the smell of MJ's body. He was in bliss.

Unfortunately, his euphoria was interrupted by a ball coming towards him. He remembered that he was playing a game, in a professional league, in front of millions of people. So he caught the ball and took the fast break. Before he jumped, however, he subconsciously looked for MJ behind his team's bench, and he suddenly remembered that she wasn't there.

The next thing he knew, he was sitting on the floor with MJ's scent seeping into his nose. He stopped caring about anything else and he buried his face under the yellow shirt. For the first time in almost two years, Peter cried.

Kevin helped Peter get back on his feet and noticed his face glistening with tears.

"You alright down there, man?" Kevin joked, trying to cheer Peter up, "You know, you won't always land on your feet. You gotta get used to that or Coach Dave is gonna start pestering you about being a crybaby."

Peter didn't know what to say to that so he just forced out a laugh. As he sat on the bench, his teammates left him alone, which he was thankful for. His peace was alas quickly broken when Coach David called his name and signalled for him to follow him to the locker room.

"Get it together, Peter. We have a championship to win, and we need you to be focused on that. Forget about your wife. Crying won't bring her back and there are plenty of…"

Coach David continued to reprimand Peter, but he had stopped listening by then. His thoughts had drifted back to MJ and MJ only.

* * *

 **A/N - So, yeah…Please tell me what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A Fast Break**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Spider-Man. Other characters are made up by me.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:**

"Are you okay, ma'am?" A portly man had turned her when he heard her quiet sobbing.

"I'm fine," MJ responded, wiping her eyes with her sleeves, "Just dust in my eyes." She turned to go to the washroom, but behind her were men laughing at Peter, calling him a wuss and other names that didn't define him at all. She sped up her pace to get out of there before she did anything stupid. She didn't want to attract more attention to herself or everyone will recognize her. That was the last thing she needed right now.

The comments about Peter being soft really irritated her. She knew Peter had taken much worse hits than this and still continued to fight. Peter was tough and resilient, that was his character, if not kind and intelligent.

 _I'm nothing like Peter,_ MJ thought to herself as she looked at the reflection of her drained face in the bathroom mirror. She had bags under her eyes and she didn't bother wearing makeup. _I couldn't take the pain of being neglected over a game. I'm just a jealous little girl, always craving for attention. I don't deserve Peter. He is strong and I am weak._

"Passengers of Flight 311 to New York please proceed immediately to Gate 28. The plane will be taking off in 15 minutes."

Needless to say, MJ was disappointed. She had hoped to stay a bit longer, to watch more of the game. Because she knew it was the last game she was ever going to watch of Peter's. He chose basketball over her, and she had no one to blame but herself.

~oOo~

Coach David had decided to give Peter some alone time to regain his composure, so Peter sat in the locker room, alone with his thoughts.

 _A shrill shriek from the living room broke the silence of the Parker house in Queens, New York. Peter rushed out of his room to check on the cause of the scream._

 _"MJ! Are you alright?"_

 _"Oh, PETE!" MJ's voice had never been higher. Her face lit up with glee and Peter allowed himself to relax. "Guess what?"_

 _Peter just raised his eyebrows questioningly._

 _"I got on Broadway! I'm playing Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton. They just called!"_

 _"Oh, wow… That's great MJ!" Peter dashed to hug her and spun her around. "I'm so happy for you!"_

 _"They said my first performance will be on the 21st of June." MJ was jumping now. "You have to be there!"_

 _Peter's face dropped. "21st of June? But that'll be when the NBA draft is happening. It's over at Barclays Center in Brooklyn."_

 _"Oh, right." MJ stopped her jumping. "I guess I'll have to talk to the manager to see if I can start at a different date then." MJ smiled lovingly at Peter._

 _"No, no, no no, no." Peter rapidly shook his head. "You don't have to do that."_

 _"No, it's alright. I want to be there when you get your first pick." MJ smirked and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Besides, I want you to be there for my Broadway debut."_

 _"Alright, then." Peter's hands lifted MJ's chin up and their lips met._

Peter didn't go to MJ's Broadway debut, nor to any of her plays so far. A lump formed in Peter's throat. He had been so unsupportive. Selfish. Insensitive. He'd been so absorbed in becoming a celebrity that he had practically ignored MJ altogether. Ever since he lost his powers, he'd been so caught up with trying to prove to himself that he could be someone besides Spider-Man that he'd forgotten about the person who truly mattered to him.

He had never been to any of her plays, despite her always being there for his games. He had become just another self-absorbed asshole like many of her exes before him. He wanted to hit himself.

 _I've chosen a game over MJ, the love of my life. How_ stupid _could I be?_

The sound of footsteps echoed through the halls leading to the locker room. Tim entered and sat beside Peter. Peter figured that it must be the end of the second quarter of the game. A long silence ensued and Peter didn't look up once, so Tim decided to start.

"You know, you're lucky, man. You still have her, you know?" Tim looked past the floor, deep in thought. "You know…" Tim hesitated, "I've never been in a serious relationship since high school…She, uh…"

Peter finally turned to look at Tim and patted him on the back. He was about to tell him that he didn't have to talk about it if he was feeling uncomfortable, but he knew that Tim was the type of person who preferred to get things off his chest. He always liked to express his emotions, so Peter stayed quiet and just listened.

Tim took a deep breath and finally regained the ability to speak. "Amanda… she and I had met when we were six. I found this tree house in the woods one day, but when I climbed in, she was already sitting there. So for the rest of the summer, we went back there everyday and played - acted like pirates, hide and seek - you know, kids stuff." Tim let out a hollow laugh and continued. "Anyway, we did that every summer until high school. That's when we started dating, but I knew that I loved her even then. We spent more time together after that and… but..."

Tim turned to face Peter and swallowed. "She died. And that's where our story ended. At senior year, she got hit by a fucking drunk driver." his voice got heavier and heavier with every word. "I don't even remember the last thing we said to each other. She was just gone…"

Peter felt for him, the silence the only comfort he could offer at the moment.

"She just—she didn't last a day in the hospital. My last memory of her - she was out, tubes connected all around her body. I couldn't…"

Peter sat frozen. He knew what it felt like to lose someone, but at least he got to speak with them during their final moments, despite it being in bad terms or not. "I'm sorry," he said.

"I told myself I would forget, that I'd move on, but I couldn't. That's why I'm stuck with flings and one night stands." Tim looked at Peter in the eyes, "Peter, you've got a beautiful, loving wife. I don't know what caused your breakup, but I've seen you two together. She'd never forget about you, just like you'd never forget about her. If I learned one thing in life, it's that you should hold the people you love close to you while you still have them."

Peter took a deep, shaky breath and Tim patted his back.

"As your teammate, I should say forget about her and win this game for us, but really, it's up to you. Follow your heart, Peter." Tim stood up and turned to leave the room, his last words echoing in Peter's head.

Tim was right. The last time Peter had felt this much grief and sense of powerlessness was when he had lost another friend. It was two years ago, when his friend became misguided by vengeance, and Peter didn't do enough to bring him back. Peter got rid of him the way he got rid of his problems then. As if he was just another villain. Only that time, it was for good.

 _No, I will not let myself lose another one. Not this time._ Suddenly, Peter knew what to do. He got up from his seat and walked out of the locker room and past the entrance to the court. He saw that the Knicks were still on the lead with 73 points, but the Lakers were catching up fast: pushing to 70 as Lebron James threw a heavy dunk on a poor Knicks player.

Peter ran his hands through his sweat-soaked hair and turned towards the exit of the court center. He didn't care about the game anymore. He only cared about MJ.

* * *

 **A/N - Review what you think about the story so far!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A Fast Break**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Spider-Man. The NBA players merely share the names of existing ones, but their characters are completely different.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5:**

When MJ finally accepted that she wouldn't be able to see Peter play once more, she solemnly turned away from the television screen. She walked out of the airport bar towards Gate 28, off to board her plane back to New York alone and without one Peter Parker.

 _Maybe he really_ was _hurt from that fall, after all._ MJ told herself as she turned her phone to airplane mode in case she forgets to do so on the plane.

~oOo~

"Damn it," Peter whispered to himself as he frantically ran down the street, trying to call MJ for the fifth time. Every single attempt ended with him being redirected to her voicemail.

" _Hey, it's MJ, sing your song at the beep_."

"MJ, please, pick up…" Peter thought about what to say next, "I'm sorry…I chose wrong…and I don't want you to think I haven't been... regretting that choice ever since—" Peter was panting by then, and before he finished what he was going to say, the voicemail ended. Peter gave up trying to call MJ, knowing he's likely been blocked already. He threw his phone on aside and continued to run.

Peter didn't know how he was going to reach the airport. He just knew that he had to because if MJ stepped into that plane without him, he would never be forgiven. She would be gone forever. New York was a big city so he's more likely to get bitten by another radioactive spider than for them to run into each other again. She had probably blocked him on all social media accounts so it would be impossible for him to find her without any contact.

He was still in his basketball jersey, wearing his basketball shoes, so people easily recognized him as he was sped down the city. He was getting way too exhausted and tunnel-visioned to notice them, though. Peter was in great shape, but his body wasn't made to run at full speed for 10 miles straight. Nonetheless, he didn't have time to wait for a taxi or bus, the traffic would only slow him down.

So he just ran, faster and faster.

He had to get to MJ and he had no time to waste.

Just as he mindlessly crossed an intersection, Peter felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand up. On instinct, Peter jumped out of the way just in time for a truck to horn past where he was standing a fraction of a second ago. Peter felt a surge of energy run through his veins, and at once, he realized what had just happened.

Instead of fatigue, his whole body felt stronger than ever. What could this mean?

Even so, he quickly snapped out of the train of thought. He could deal with that later; he had more important matters to worry about. He ignored the mixture of strange and awed looks he was getting and continued to run. Before long, Peter had disappeared in an alley, climbed up a building and was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, wishing he still had his web-shooters with him.

~oOo~

MJ was twisting her wedding band around her ring finger as she trudged on her way to Gate 28. She was used to figuring out what to do under pressure. She didn't grow up in the most loving and supportive home, and her reputation during her high school years didn't help ease the tension in her life, so she knew how to deal with emotional problems. What she didn't know, however, was what to do with the damn ring. She could have easily taken it off, if not for the memory of Peter's proposal.

" _... it was wholesome." Peter chuckled as he recalled the memory of his late Aunt May teaching their neighbour's dog how to dance._

" _It sure was." MJ agreed with Peter as they sat down on a bench. They had been walking in the middle of a tulip field, surrounded by people gazing and taking pictures of the stunning garden park filled with blooming colourful flowers._

" _MJ…" Peter said her name as though it was the most beautiful word to ever come out of his mouth. His hazel brown eyes bore into her, and she fixed hers on his in return._

" _Pete…" MJ replied just as affectionately. Peter's hands caressed her cheeks and she closed her eyes as she waited for his lips to meet hers. It didn't. Instead, she heard something clutter to the stone pavement near her feet and Peter muttering to himself._

" _Damn it… sorry."_

 _MJ opened her eyes and saw Peter was picking up his camera from the ground. Before he put it back in his camera bag, though, she saw him take a small box out from it with his other hand. He then got to his knees and opened the box in front of her to reveal a small, sparkling diamond ring. Before he said anything, MJ hugged him and screamed, "YES!"_

 _A friendly stranger had snapped a photo of the proposal and approached the newly-engaged couple, revealing the capture of the most perfect moment in MJ's life._

Peter had been the one who brought the love and support she needed ever since her mom passed away. It wouldn't be too selfish of her to keep the only thing she had of him left, would it?

~oOo~

Peter sped past the airport security and fought off guards trying to stop him. He caught sight of MJ just as he was about to enter the bridge leading to the plane.

"MJ!"

MJ turned around with a surprised face, shocked to see Peter running towards her. He was panting once he reached her, the guards loosely trailing behind him by then. "Peter?"

Peter thought she looked as beautiful as ever: even with her worn-out face, she was a sight for sore eyes. They looked at each other for several seconds before running into each other's arms. Tears flowed down MJ's cheeks, but for the first time in what felt like so long, they were happy, tears of joy. They attacked each other's lips as if they were tasting each other for the first time again. Peter could smell the wonderful scent emitting from MJ's skin. The same scent that drove him insane, even while playing what could have been his life-changing game in front of millions of people.

MJ buried her hands under the hair at the back of Peter's head. Her hands travelled to places it should never go while they're in public. _In public. Right._ MJ opened her eyes once she realized what she was doing. Peter's eyes were heavy and hungry for more and MJ eagerly wanted to comply had she not seen that the guards were finally catching up.

"Are you crazy?" She teasingly whispered into his ears.

"Yes, I was crazy for choosing a game over you." Peter tucked a lock of hair behind her ears and whispered, "I'm so sorry…"

They pressed their foreheads together before Peter pulled out to turn himself in to the guards, who have now reluctantly caught up. He sheepishly smiled at them and raised his arms out for an officer to put handcuffs on him. Before he was led out, he faced MJ and finally said it.

"I love you, MJ."

"A love you, Pete," MJ replied, laughing at the sight of Peter getting arrested. It was an absurd sight because, in spite of all things, they loved each other, and that was all that mattered to both of them at the moment.

* * *

 **A/N - That's it for the story. It was a challenge for me to write because I've never been down to LA and I'm writing about adults who are almost twice my age. I still hope I made it enjoyable enough for you to tolerate my inexperience, though.**

 **Anyway, thanks a lot for reading! Make sure to tell me what you think by reviewing, I really appreciate them.**


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes:

After deciding to reread this story, I squirmed so hard I decided to rewrite a lot of scenes and add some new ones. I guess that's to be expected when a teenager tries to write angst. I hope this new version stands the test of time better than the original version did. Thanks for reading!


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